By Our Religious Correspondent
Kottayam, Aug 26 (IVC) Seven laity representative from the rebel Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdioese had distributed leaflets at the Three-day Fifth Syro-Malabar Church’s Major Archiepiscopal Assembly held at Plai near here on Aug 3 demanding the removal of the Archbihop of Thrissur and the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) , Mar Andrews Thazath . The CBCI is the apex body of the Catholics in India.
The charges framed by the Almaya Munnettom, a forum representing the lay persons from the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese accused , Mar Andrews Thazah,
The the former apostolic administrator of the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese who had falsely aligned the clergy and laity with the non-Christian religious extreme forces, in his report to Pope Francis , Vatican.
The leaflets distributed detailed how the archbishop abused his authority as apostolic administrator and misinformed Pope Francis regarding the liturgical disputes in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly” the Co-ordinator of Almaya munnettom Riju Knjookadan said. On August 23, all the seven lay representative of the Assembly from the Archdiocese staged a walkout during tribute to Cardinal George Alencherry. It was an unprecedented event in the history of the Syro-Malabar Episcopal Assembly, he added They also boycotted a holy Mass led by the Former Major Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Church, Cardinal George Alencerry.
“The protest was directed at the glorification of a prelate who was compelled to resign by the Vatican”, one of the lay representative explained.
This unexpected episode sent sock waves through the Church, prompting Bishop Pauly Kannookadan , convener of the Assembly Committee, to publicly rebuke the protesters on Aug 24. The Siro-Malabar Church, with an estimated 5 million followers, is the second-largest of the Eastern Catholic Churches in Communion with the Vatican.
